CONGRATULATIONS BRISBANE – We’re making Ann Street safe again

Bicycle Queensland has welcomed the Lord Mayor’s
announcement today that the speed limit on Brisbane’s Ann Street will be
permanently slowed from 60km/h to 40km/h from next week.

The change will take effect on Monday (November 5), in a move that brings Ann
Street into line with all other CBD streets except Turbot Street.

The action follows Lord Mayor Graham Quirk’s launch of a
citywide walking and cycling safety review, in the wake of a number of tragic
pedestrian incidents in recent months.

There have been 10 serious crashes involving pedestrians in
five years along just one 780-metre-long stretch of the busy traffic corridor,
and it is known to be a hot spot for crashes involving motor vehicles and
cyclists.

Bicycle Queensland CEO Anne Savage commended the decision.

“Lower speed limits save lives – we applaud this commitment
to protecting community safety,” she said.

“This is strong leadership from local government,
recognising the evidence that lower speed limits save lives.

“This move will make a major traffic corridor much safer for
people who walk and ride, including large numbers of young women who attend All
Hallows’ School on Ann Street.

“International evidence demonstrates that on most roads, in
most countries, 40-50 per cent of all cars travel above the speed limit, and
someone who is hit by a vehicle traveling at 80km/hr has a three times higher
risk of dying than if they had been hit by a vehicle moving at 50km/hr.

“According to United Nations data, even just a five per cent
cut in the average speed reduces the number of fatal crashes by 30 per cent,
and 47 countries have already implemented lower urban speed limits and laws
that allow local authorities to further reduce speed limits to protect people
on foot and riding bikes.

“International experts – including the United Nations –
recommend setting lower speed limits when motorised traffic mixes with people
who walk, ride, and cross the street frequently.

“Setting slower speed limits in the CBD and selected
suburban areas will save lives and significantly reduce the likelihood of
serious injuries.

“Lowering speed limits in both CBD and urban areas has been
proven time and again to prevent crashes and save costs, which are ultimately
always borne by the community.

“47 countries around the world have already implemented
these commonsense practices to protect vulnerable road users, adopting a strong
focus on infrastructure and laws that discourage high-risk driving.

“Concerted investment to improve on-road bike lanes and
build new separated cycleways is also critical – providing lifesaving
protection for people who walk and ride by eliminating risks of collisions
involving motor vehicles – giving all road users greater peace of mind.

“While individual awareness is important, I cannot emphasise
strongly enough the fact that if a vehicle impacts with a pedestrian or bike
rider at a high speed, the person is likely to be killed or seriously injured –
lower speed limits save lives.

“Slowing down speed limits will accelerate our work to
achieve the goal of zero deaths on our roads and in the Brisbane CBD,” Ms
Savage said.

Bicycle Queensland analysis of road crash data has proven
that a 10km/hr reduction in the speed limit in Brisbane CBD in 2009 reduced the
average crash cost in car crashes involving a cyclist by $30,000 per crash,
from about $250k to $220k – lowering the number of fatalities and serious
injuries over a five-year period.